Warriors of Light
by Lt. Basil
Summary: 100 themes primarily focusing on the main ten Kingdom Hearts original characters (with a few other characters occasionally taking the limelight) and the struggles of existing in the world(s?) they live in. K plus for now. RikuShi, TerQua and SoKai as main pairings, though some other minor ships may appear as well. Spoilers for KHUX and KHIII.
1. Chapter 1

****A/N: Hey guys!****

 **Soo this is my second attempt at a 100-theme challenge and I'm determined to do it well this time. My previous attempt is another KH fic called "100 Feelings of an Undefined Heart" and it's kind of crap (I wrote it five years ago so of course it's sort of garbage) but if you want to take a look be my guest. This particular challenge was by ohsosqueamish off of wordpress and is variation 3 of said challenge.**

 **There will be pairings in this fic (namely SoKai, TerQua and possibly RikuShi) but they won't be the main focus. I prefer to branch out a bit. These drabbles will be focusing on KH-original characters – there won't be any from a Disney or Final Fantasy character's point of view (except for maybe Mickey, Yen Sid and/or Maleficent) but you can probably expect a few from several Org XIII members besides just the Sea Salt trio. I'm going to try to give all the "main" characters (by which I mean the three trios plus Naminé) close to equal screentime. We'll see how well I do.**

 **There will be five drabbles per chapter, and each chapter will open up with content warnings for each of the drabbles. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. And, as always, I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

 **Content Warnings: 1 goes into a brief description of a woman giving birth and 5 mentions physical injury.**

 _ **1\. Introduction**_

It was the height of storm season when a new life was introduced into the world

The room barely fit the bed the mother was sprawled on. The woman screamed at the pain tearing her abdomen, silver hair plastered to her forehead and her wails drowned by the thunder.

A cry pierced the din, and the midwife smiled.

"It's a boy."

The mother looked away. The midwife sighed.

"You can still change your mind, you know," she whispered.

"No. He's better off without me."

The midwife nodded, turning away…

"…wait." She glanced back. The mother sighed. "His name… it's Xehanort."

 **2\. Love**

Contrary to what most people thought, love wasn't always fireworks.

Not to Aqua, at least.

To her, love wasn't dramatic. It was the simple things; Eraqus kneeling beside her to heal a skinned knee, Ventus getting up early to bake her a special cake for her birthday, Terra giving her a cup of coffee to help her through the numerous all-nighters she's had to pull over the years. Nothing flashy or swoon-inducing. Just a thoughtful gesture from a friend was good enough.

Not everyone understood her perception of love, which was fine. It worked for her; that was good enough.

 **3\. Light**

Thoughts of his friends were the only thing that kept him moving.

Riku wandered alone on the rocky path, unable to suppress a shudder at the foul stench in the air. This place stank of darkness; the odor seeped into his pores and clung to his clothing. The atmosphere was cold and there wasn't a soul in sight. Try as he might, he couldn't stop shivering.

When it became too much to bear, Riku thought of his friends, of Sora's goofy grin and Kairi's gentle steadiness. Their light chased away the shadows, and he found the means to go on.

 **4\. Dark**

Purple smoke twirled around his hands, making the Replica grin. He flexed his fingers, watching the tendrils snake around the tips.

He didn't know why the "real thing" feared it – the darkness was intoxicating, pure ecstasy. Why would someone ever reject it?

"Having fun, kid?"

His head jerked up. Dark coat, red hair, sly smirk… it was Axel.

"Yes," he replied cautiously.

Axel crossed his arms. "Don't go overboard," he cautioned. "I'd rather not scrape you off the wall."

The Replica scowled. "Who asked you?"

Axel raised his hands. "Just sayin'. Can't be too careful with darkness. It bites back."

 **5\. Rot**

Xion couldn't move. Everything ached. Bruises and cuts riddled her body (courtesy of the imposter), the pain so intense that she couldn't even stand.

As badly as her body hurt though, it was nothing compared to the ache in her soul.

A sham. That's what he'd called her. He'd thrashed her within an inch of her life, called her a _sham_ , and left her to rot like she wasn't even worth finishing off.

Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He was wrong. She'd prove it.

She wasn't a sham. She _wasn't_.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Reviews are appreciated**

 **Content Warnings: None really. This set is pretty clean.**

 _ **6\. Break**_

He found Aqua on the summit, hacking relentlessly at the revolving metal rings.

Terra approached her. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Aqua kept attacking the machine. "Couldn't sleep, so I'm training instead."

"You know that's unhealthy," he chastised. She ignored him. "Aqua…"

Flicking her wrist, she dismissed her Keyblade and turned to look at him. "I'm _fine_ ," she insisted.

"No. You're not." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Aqua. Take a break."

She wanted to argue, but his earnest expression silenced her. Sighing, she nodded. With a smile, Terra took her hand and led her back towards the castle.

 _ **7\. Heaven**_

Axel had never been particularly sentimental, but he had his moments. Because for the life of him, he wouldn't trade those afternoons with Roxas and Xion for anything.

He hadn't even been this relaxed around _Isa_ – sometimes he could even swear he felt movement in his hollow chest when he looked at them. How could he feel so happy without a heart?

The best times of his nonexistence were spent on that tower, laughing and eating ice cream with his friends. If this wasn't heaven, he didn't know what was.

Those two were everything to him, and Axel was content.

 _ **8\. Away**_

The hours eat away at her like a cancer and Kairi doesn't know how to cope.

Kairi understands why they left – the worlds need Keyblade Wielders, and Sora and Riku aren't the types to sit on their hands when they could be helping – but that doesn't mean she's happy about it. Nothing can soothe the ache that being away from them brings.

She wants to help, to _fight_ , and knowing she can't kills her. Kairi _hates_ feeling useless and being separated from them and the knowledge that she can't _do_ anything.

If this keeps up, she's going to go insane.

 _ **9\. Cut**_

"Ow!"

Naminé dropped the stack of papers in her hands to inspect her fingers. A tiny red line had formed on the pad of her thumb, and it _stung_.

Wincing, she shoved the injured digit into her mouth, inwardly sighing as her saliva soothed the irritating nick. She hated getting paper-cuts, they made it hard to draw properly and hurt far more than something that small had any right to. Unfortunately, they were commonplace for an artist.

The door creaked open and Riku poked his head in. "I heard a shout. You okay?"

"Fine," she mumbled. "It's just a paper-cut."

 _ **10\. Breath**_

Sensation came back all at once, leaving Zexion disoriented and confused.

There was light beyond his eyelids – a blinding light that left his eyes watering. He was lying facedown on a cold floor and his head was spinning, but it was better than five minutes ago when he was fading thanks to that psychotic Replica while Axel looked on –

He decided it was best to focus on breathing.

In – he could sense people beside him – out – his head hurt – in – he thought he heard Axel talking to himself – out – his chest was burning –

Zexion finally lifted his head… and choked.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hoo boy, I'm terrible with updating. Sorry. I've spent the past few months getting ready for college and I just started classes on Monday... updating this piece is going to get complicated... though on the plus side, I now have a working computer so at least I CAN update. That's something at least.**

 **Before we begin, I need to give a couple notes:**

 **1\. I switched the places of 15 (silence) and 88 (pain) because I'm having trouble coming up with a prompt for "silence" and I already have "pain" written. Otherwise we'd probably have to wait another like 4 months for the next update, knowing the way my muse works...**

 **2\. 11 takes dialogue directly from the KH2 manga and alludes to a scene in that same manga, so if you don't recognize Kairi's dialogue from any of the games, that's why**

 **3\. 13 is inspired by KHUX, a canon mobile game that takes place around the time of the Keyblade War. I wrote it during the first week that I was playing the game and was getting annoyed at how many times I had to fight the same raid boss in a row. If the protagonist (Kaida, in this case) seems out of character, that is because I had only reached maybe the thirtieth mission and had not had time to see what her personality really was like. It is unlikely that there will be very many UX drabbles however, due to the fact that I was unable to complete the game due to my phone running out of space and being unable to update anymore. But for the few times that I DO write UX pieces... my character is Kaida, she has blue eyes and wavy pink hair and wears a newsboy cap.**

 **Content Warnings: 12 is about Xehanort possessing people and could be considered disturbing, and 15 is super depressing**

 _ **11\. Memory**_

" _You could have just asked! You didn't have to kidnap me!"_

Axel sat and cradled his head. Kairi's words echoed in his mind, making thinking difficult.

" _Our goals – they're the same!"_

He was going crazy – that was the only explanation.

" _Roxas – I've met him before!"_

Why did thinking about this hurt so much?

" _It DOES matter!"_

Why did it bother him?

" _You're lying!"_

Why did his chest ache when he remembered her face after learning the truth?

" _Is it true?"_

Why did it feel so... familiar?

" _Please don't hold back, Axel. Promise."_

 _ **12\. Insanity**_

He can curse and scream all he wants; it makes no difference. Now, the prison is his mind.

The mindscape is empty, an expanse of nothingness lit only by the soft glow emanating from Isa's body. All alone, he wonders how much of the darkness is Xehanort's verses his own – he certainly has plenty to spare.

It's quiet except for the whispers of the other prisoners, and Isa laughs bitterly. Fitting that they filter through as madness overtakes him. Lea always teased that he was crazy; now it's actually true.

Alone with darkness and whispers and his dwindling sanity, Isa breaks.

 _ **13\. Misfortune**_

It was following her. That was the only explanation.

Kaida's knuckles were white from gripping Starlight so hard. She was utterly exhausted, and couldn't _quite_ shake it off.

Another Leopardus girl had gushed about getting to fight a Guard Armor, but Kaida couldn't feel so enthusiastic after it had followed her to _four separate worlds_. She'd had to fight it _five times_ and was by now quite annoyed.

She didn't know what she'd done to deserve this, but one thing was certain; if she ever found who made those things, they were going to have some _serious_ explaining to do...

 _ **14\. Smile**_

The outside world has falling apart, light and darkness clashing with alarming intensity and stars blinking out left and right – yet in the empty halls of the long-abandoned castle, all was calm. No battles rattled the corridors; no monsters haunted the rooms. It was peaceful.

In a hidden room, safe from the treacherous souls who sought to claim him, a young boy slept. He was a lonely sight, alone as he was, but if you looked closely, you might see a slight quirk in his lips.

Even as everything went to hell, one soul began to find himself, and hope survived.

 _ **15\. Pain**_

Axel dreams, and he remembers...

 _Riku dreams, and he remembers..._

Remembers the girl he befriended...

 _Remembers the girl he failed..._

The one he ate ice cream with...

 _The one he fought against..._

Laughed with...

 _Puzzled over..._

Mourned...

 _Hurt..._

Remembers her smile...

 _Remembers her tears..._

When he told her she was his friend...

 _When he told her she was a sham..._

And he wishes he could go back...

 _And he wishes he could take it back..._

And be with her again...

 _And make it right..._

But he can't...

 _He can't..._

And it hurts...

 _It hurts..._

And he misses her.

 _He hates himself._

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So yeah, I'm really bad with updates.**

 **I'm also getting tired of writing long author's notes so I'll just leave it at that and skip ahead to the warnings:**

 **Content Warnings: 16 is kind of gross and 17 is slightly gory and has UX spoilers, and 19 has a mild swear word.**

 **16\. Spit**

"Stop that!"

Dilan paused at the exasperated voice. Frowning, he vacated his position by the door to peek his head inside Ansem's lab.

He blinked.

Roxas and Sora were giggling, their fronts spattered with spittle and a array of test tubes lying forgotten on the floor. Ienzo faced them, looking extremely annoyed.

"I knew Sora would do something like this, but I expected better from you, Roxas," Ienzo said, scowling.

"Sorry Zexion," Roxas replied, not sounding sorry at all. Sora cackled.

Dilan rolled his eyes and returned to his post. Ienzo could handle this without his help.

 **17\. Blood**

Pain.

All she felt was pain.

Her limbs were leaden and her heart ached, and her left side felt like it had been stabbed repeatedly with a sword.

 _Not a sword... a Keyblade_.

Grimacing, she clutched her hand to her stomach. Red liquid oozed out from between her fingers. She flinched.

 _Aced... Ira... Invi..._

 _Ava..._

 _How could she?_

Frustrated tears leaked from her eyes. She didn't even have the strength to blink them back. The sounds of battle were fading around her, but it only added to her pain.

 _What's the point?_

Kaida's eyes closed, and the world went black.

 **18\. Under**

Sora dreamt of drowning.

He stood beside the water, watching in shock as it pulled away from shore and formed a huge tidal wave before him.

Riku stood between him and the wave, his back to him. Fear seized Sora's heart; he called to his friend, trying to warn him of the danger.

Hearing his name, Riku turned.

Sora gaped.

He was _smiling_.

Why was he smiling?

Shaking it off, Sora ran into the surf, reaching out to seize Riku's outstretched hand, pull him to safety -

A wall of water fell atop them, dragging both under the raging waves.

 **19\. Gray**

It burned, searing into his mind and stabbing his heaving lungs, that stupid light, that horrible disgusting idiotic HAPPY LITTLE – UGH!

Vanitas clawed at his head, begging the feeling to go away, for Ventus' _stupid heart_ to just _shut the hell up and leave him alone - !_

His fist slammed into the ground, startling three Wild Bruisers that had spawned beside him.

If only _he_ could feel like that, if _he_ could have friends and a home, have a little less black and a little more gray –

He squeezed his eyes shut and screamed.

 _It's not fair._

 **20\. Fortitude**

The metal grip felt strange in Kairi's hand.

Oddly... light, like it was made of tin – but sturdy as steel and warm as the heat in her chest.

She could feel Riku's gaze burning into her, watching her examine the flowered blade clutched in her palm. The Heartless were closing in around them, their clumsy footsteps still somehow managing to look threatening.

Fear stabbed at her heart, but she stamped it down. Gritting her teeth, Kairi brandished her keyblade menacingly in front of her.

She was done letting the boys do all the work.

"This time... I'LL fight!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is it guys. KH3 came out a month ago and now I can say for SURE that there are going to be spoilers. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

 **Content Warnings: 22 and 23 have KH3 spoilers.**

 **21: War**

He hadn't wanted it to come to this.

 _It was always going to come to this._

He'd hoped that there would be another way.

 _There was clearly no other way._

It wasn't right.

 _So what if it was wrong?_

It wasn't fair.

 _Life had never been fair anyway._

Why did it have to be like this?

 _It was always going to end up like this._

Sora hated it.

 _Vanitas had accepted it._

He wasn't ready for this.

 _He'd waited his whole life for this._

But regardless, he had to do it.

 _There was no turning back now._

It was time.

 _This was war._

 **22: Mother**

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Suna drummed her fingers against the counter-top anxiously. She had expected her son back three days ago – what was going...

She nearly knocked over her chair in her hasted to reach the door when the bell rang. There were a million things hovering on her lips as she threw the door open, ready to pull Sora into a big hug –

Only to freeze when it opened to a somber-faced Riku, head bowed and very much alone. Her heart sank.

"Riku?" she asked tremulously. "What's wrong? Where's Sora?"

Riku flinched. "I... have some bad news."

 **23\. Distasteful**

"I don't need humanity. All I care about is my research."

The words tasted like poison on Even's lips, a bitter lie that turned his stomach. Outwardly, he remained impassive, the facade perfectly in place under that piercing gaze. But inside he couldn't help but seethe.

He had to do this, he knew. After everything he had done, sabotaging Xehanort's operation from the inside was the least he could do in recompence. But that didn't mean he had to enjoy it.

It was a dirty business, espionage. But if it helped Even fix his mistakes, it was worth it.

 **24\. Want**

Xion watched miserably, desperately, as Riku struck up a friendly conversation with Naminé.

The blonde girl was smiling, talking softly while brushing a lock of pale hair behind her ear, and Riku's gaze followed the motion. He was grinning – _grinning –_ at her, his turquoise eyes bright as he talked animatedly with the blonde.

Xion tugged self-consciously at her own dark locks, limp and featureless as they were compared to the other girl's. She knew she wasn't as pretty as Naminé and never would be – but seeing him smile at her like that...

Chest aching, she turned away.

 **25\. Lurking**

There's a shadow lurking in the back of Lauriam's mind.

He knows it's there, even if he has no idea what it is. It's as much a part of him as the air in his lungs, as much _his_ as his own reflection. As elusive as memories of the life he led before waking up in this strange town.

All his attempts to grasp it fail. He can rip his mind apart trying to hang on to it, but in the end all he can see is a fuzzy outline too blurred to make sense of.

And eventually, he just stops trying.


End file.
